TALENTED

JACKSONVILLE — A local resident recently came face-to-face with a reality television star while participating in a regional talent competition.

Jacksonville's Kimberly Gittemeier was a participant in "Rolla's Got Talent" this past Saturday (Nov. 9) — a regional talent competition held at the Leach Theatre, for the purpose of raising money and awareness for The Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri's "Buddy Pack" program at Newburg Elementary School. Per a release from the Food Bank's Communications Coordinator Scott Gordon, Gittemeier, who sang in the competition, was one of the event's 10 finalists.

"They had an ad in the paper — I think it was in Macon," Gittemeier told the MMI on Thursday morning (Nov. 14). "My husband saw it, and told me I should audition, so I did.

"There was a preliminary audition — there was supposed to be one on the 26th," she said. "They didn't have enough sign up, so the ones who did sign up all made it to the finals."

Gittemeier, who said that she sang in choirs all throughout her schooling days, as well as at weddings, funerals, and sporting events, performed Laura Story's "Blessings" for the crowd

Although she did not win the competition, Gittemeier did get to meet a member of Missouri's reality television royalty — America's Got Talent's season three winner Neal E. Boyd, of Sikeston, who was a judge.

"We had a reception before [the contest] started," she said, "and he just sat down at my table. He's just a very normal guy. Big Mizzou fan."Gittemeier equated the contest to "a big family get-together."

"There was no animosity between everybody," she said. "Everyone got along. We even prayed together before it got started. Everyone was appreciative of everyone's talent."

The winning act in the competition — Tyler Ammerman, a blues harmonica performer from Linn — received an opportunity to try out for America's Got Talent at their upcoming Denver auditions for the ninth season.

Could we be seeing Mrs. Gittemeier at one of those auditions in the near future? Perhaps, she said.

"Most of the cities where the auditions are, are too far," she said. "You can submit video auditions, so we're still tossing around that idea.

"I've done things like this before — won some, lost some. Part of it is showing my kids that if you want something, you need to try. It's getting up there and doing it that is half the battle."